The Village
by AliasCWN
Summary: The Rat Patrol run into trouble outside an abandoned village. As they seek temporary shelter in the village they find more trouble is in the cards.
1. Chapter 1

**The Village**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 1

"Hitch, take the watch!"

Hitch nodded, grabbed a weapon and a pair of binoculars, and ran to one of the few buildings still standing in the town. The Germans had shelled the town, destroying it so completely that the population had all been driven out. Of all of the buildings in the town, only three remained standing, and they were in bad shape. Jagged timbers protruded from large holes in the stone walls. In two of them the walls themselves were leaning at dangerous angles to the street; Hitch had chosen the third one to use as a lookout.

Slipping through the door he noted that the door frame had been hit and the door hung open on twisted hinges. A set of stairs to the right led to the upper floor, and hopefully to the roof. He put a hand on the stairs and pushed, checking to make sure that they were solid. They didn't shift when he pushed so he began to climb.

The stairs did lead all the way to the roof and the roof gave him a good view in every direction. He noticed a few spots that looked like they should be avoided but the rest looked solid enough. He took care to reach the edge of the roof where he could look out over the town. Lifting his binoculars, he did a sweep of the surrounding desert, especially the trail they had left as they entered the town. Anyone following them would come from that direction and may not realize that they had stopped.

There was nothing but sand as far as he could see. Some of it was piled in huge dunes while in other places it was as flat as a highway. The dunes presented a place to hide, if you could reach them without being seen. One of the things he watched for was the tell-tale dust trail left behind by vehicles moving across the dry landscape. He knew if they moved slowly enough they could avoid the dust giving them away, but if that were the case, they would never catch up to the fast moving jeeps. Troy had set a hurried pace to the town; they were all eager to return to their base. He couldn't see any dust rising from their back trail and they hadn't expected any. They had been long gone before the charges they had set had detonated. The Germans would have been too busy putting out the fires to bother hunting them after dark. They had camped for the night well clear of the German base.

He glanced down to check on the other members of his team. Tully was working on the jeeps, filling the gas tanks and the radiators. He had already gone over both jeeps looking for any damage resulting from the rough terrain they had covered since breaking camp. Troy had deliberately chosen the rough route to avoid contact with any German patrols. The Germans kept to the roads to avoid damage to their vehicles. Dietrich didn't like to lose his valuable vehicles to the protruding rocks if it could be avoided. He was trying hard to protect the ones he had at his disposal. It seemed that the Germans were having trouble getting supplies through to their bases, and that included new vehicles or parts to repair the ones they already had. The Rat Patrol knew he was having problems; and they knew why, but they didn't feel the least bit guilty for having had a hand in causing his shortages. Troy was interested in preventing the Germans from solving their problem, thus the rougher road.

Troy and Moffitt were busy refilling the canteens and water cans from the jeeps. While the town had been destroyed, its well had survived intact and was being used by both sides, though not at the same time. Neither side wanted it destroyed since they planned to use it when they controlled this region. Right now the Germans were in control but the Allies were planning on changing that soon.

Hitch counted the cans by the well and realized that the sergeants were just getting started. He made another sweep of the surrounding desert with the glasses, still nothing.

The ruins of the town drew his eye. Most of the homes had taken direct hits. Timber, mortar, and rocks had been shattered, splintered, or thrown helter-skelter around the streets. The streets as far as he could see were littered with debris from the shelling. It reminded Hitch of a picture he had seen once of a town after an earthquake had hit. He remembered seeing pictures of rescuers digging through the rubble looking for survivors. It had surprised and amazed him that victims had been pulled out from under the buildings alive even days after the quake. He couldn't imagine how it must have felt being trapped for that long. It had been hard to imagine anyone surviving the fall of the walls at all.

Tully dropped the hood on one of the jeeps, drawing his attention. He looked down just as Tully looked up. Tully grinned and winked, Hitch nodded and flashed him a smile in return. Hitch blew a bubble and popped it as he turned away to search the desert again.

He didn't see Troy watch the exchange with a smile.

"How's it look Hitch?"

"Okay Sarge." He answered without looking down.

"We'll be ready to go soon."

Hitch nodded that he'd heard and lifted the glasses to scan the desert again.

"These are the last of them." Moffitt handed Troy a string of canteens that he had just filled. "I'll fill the cans and join you at the jeeps."

"Take your time; the jeeps need to cool down." Troy answered.

"Sarge!"

Troy shaded his eyes to squint up at his driver. "Yeah?"

"I think I caught the glint of a plane."

"Tully, cover the jeeps!"

Moffitt and Troy hurried to the jeeps with the water they had. Tossing them loosely in the back, they helped Tully arrange the camouflage nets over the vehicles.

"Hitch, take cover!"

Hitch ducked into the stairway while the others hid under the netting. All four men strained to hear the drone of the planes' engines. It was only a few minutes until they heard it, far off but rapidly drawing closer. It passed directly over them, flying low and at a reduced speed. No one moved until Troy gave the all clear.

"A scout plane." Moffitt announced unnecessarily. "It was definitely checking the town."

"Looking for us?" Tully asked in his slow drawl.

"Perhaps." Moffitt conceded. "Or it might have been a routine flyover. We know that Jerry keeps an eye on this place as the only water hole in this entire region."

"I just hope he didn't spot our tracks leading in here." Tully responded.

"He didn't act like he saw anything." Troy reassured him.

"He's unarmed." Moffitt reminded him. "He couldn't have done anything but hang around and keep an eye on us for the ground troops even if he did notice."

"He could have called in his buddies with the big guns and bombs." Tully contradicted.

"If he saw us."

Troy waited a while to uncover the jeeps just in case the plane circled back. When it seemed safe he pulled the nets and lashed the canteens into their usual place. Secured so that they wouldn't bounce out, Troy turned his attention to the unfilled cans. "Keep your eyes open in case he returns but I want to wait and let him get out of the area. We'll finish filling the cans and let the jeeps cool a bit more." He folded the net for his jeep and stowed it in the rear. Tully took care of his while Moffitt took the cans back to the well.

"Are the jeeps cooled yet Tully?" Troy glanced at his watch and rose from the shade to check on the vehicles.

"They should be Sarge." Tully rose from his seat to feel the heat coming off of the radiators. He nodded with satisfaction and turned to Troy. "She's ready Sarge."

Troy smiled as Tully patted his jeep affectionately and rolled his matchstick between his teeth. At the nod from Troy he slid behind the wheel with an expectant air. "All right then, let's go." He twisted in his seat and looked up at their sentry. "Come on down Hitch!"

They all watched as Hitch made his way carefully around the edge of the roof to the stirs. They could hear him on the steps and each one relaxed just a little bit as they saw him clear the building with no mishaps.

Hitch holstered his weapon and slid behind the wheel of his jeep.

"See anything?"

Hitch glanced over at his sergeant and shook his head. "I thought I saw a little dust on the other side of the hills earlier, but it died down and I didn't see it again. Must have been a dust devil." Troy nodded so Hitch adjusted his goggles over his eyes and prepared to move out. "Where to Sarge?"

"Back to the base." Troy answered. "Only this time let's take the road."

Hitch smiled, the road would be easier driving. He started out and Tully's jeep pulled alongside to avoid the dust his jeep was raising. Hitch smiled at the other driver and got a wink in return. He settled deeper into his seat to get comfortable for the long drive. A short time later as they rounded a hill he glanced over at Troy to see the sergeant watching the sky. He turned back to watch the road and slammed on his brakes.

Troy was thrown forward at the unexpected deceleration. He threw a hand out to keep from hitting the dash. "Hitch, what the..?" He stopped in mid question as Hitch pointed to the road ahead.

The road was blocked by three halftracks abreast of each other coming toward them. Troy turned to look behind them but the road was clear as far as he could see.

"Troy!"

Moffitt was pointing toward two more of the armored vehicles charging toward them from the side.

Troy turned toward the other side, looking for more of the enemy.

"They're over there too." Hitch called. "I saw a flash through the brush." Even as he yelled the warning several patrol cars broke free of cover and topped the hill, headed directly for them.

"Go back! Turn back!" Troy yelled at the other jeep as the first group of halftracks opened fire on them. He didn't wait for them to acknowledge the order; he began to climb over the seat to man the 50. Hitch took the turn sharply, nearly throwing him over the side. He grabbed the handles and pulled himself upright, bracing his feet on either side of the gun mount.

"They're trying to cut us off Sarge." Hitch yelled as he swerved the jeep to avoid an incoming shell. The shell landed to the side, shaking the jeep and throwing dirt in Troy's face.

"Circle the town. We don't want to have to slow down to pick our way through the streets."

Hitch nodded and hunched over the steering wheel as another shell whistled overhead. This one landed far enough in front that Hitch had time to turn the wheel and miss the newly formed crater. Troy glanced back to see Tully dodging the hole in the road while trying to avoid the next incoming shell.

Bullets whined as they passed his head. He turned to see the patrol cars closing the distance between them. Swinging the big machine gun around, Troy took aim at the more vulnerable targets. Without the armor that protected the halftracks, the cars would be easier to disable, giving the jeeps at least one side clear of the enemy. The heavy bullets caught the second driver as he hit a bump in the ground. He slumped over the wheel and his car continued forward veering to one side with no one in control.

The third driver had to swerve to avoid the second car as it careened into his path. His car hit another bump and went airborne. Before it landed he tried to turn the wheel, causing it to hit with the wheels turned to the side. The car flipped, throwing the occupants in every direction. The second car hit the third one as it rolled into its path. Both cars burst into flames as the gas tank on one exploded.

The driver of the first car didn't realize that he was now alone in his attack from that direction. He pressed forward expecting the others to help drive the Americans in the direction they wanted. Troy hit the engine of his car with a string of bullets that stopped him in his tracks. The soldiers in the rear of the car tried to leap free before Troy could get the range but he already had it. He let them have the next burst of lead. Their bodies jerked under the impacts, twisting one way and then the other. One of them fell forward onto the driver, knocking him from the car. He tried to roll free as the jeeps continued on their way.

"Sarge!"

Troy spun the heavy 50 around, looking for what had caused Tully to yell. The road ahead still looked clear. He glanced over at the second jeep to ask what was wrong now. Moffitt was lifting the barrel of his 50 toward the sky. Troy looked up and spotted the two squat bodied Stukas coming out of the sun.

"Hitch, planes!" The jeep swerved violently again as his driver reacted to the warning. Both jeeps continued forward driving side by side, their drivers waiting for the sergeant to give the order to separate.

The first plane came in fast, its gun kicking up dust as he shot up the road. The second one held back, waiting for an opportunity. Troy yelled 'now' and the two vehicles split apart, each one darting to the side as the plane shot between them. Both sergeants tried to punch holes in the belly of the plane before it could get clear. The second pilot, seeing what they were doing, came in to one side before turning toward them. He tried to take them off guard as they aimed at the first plane.

"Go!" Troy yelled to his driver. Hitch heard and twisted the wheel. The jeep hesitated as the wheels lost their grip on the road. A moment later it took off in a cloud of dust. The second plane was right on their tail, trying to match them turn for turn. Troy kept a steady string of bullets headed for the body of the Stuka. Most of them missed but a few caught the fuel line. The plane exploded in mid-air. Bits of flaming metal rained down on the jeep as Hitch tried to get out of the way.

A third plane dived at them out of the glare of the sun.

"Where's Moffitt?" Troy yelled as Hitch twisted the wheel again.

"The first plane kept after them." Hitch yelled over his shoulder. "I lost sight of them just before we ducked that last attack." He was concentrating on avoiding the third plane as he answered.

"Head for the village, we'll try to catch him off guard there." The sergeant twisted to look for the other jeep. He saw Tully swing wide as the plane circled for another run at them. Waving an arm, Troy told them to head for the village too.

Tully spun his jeep again as the first pilot came in for another run. The attack failed to touch the jeep and Tully soon had it headed for the debris littered streets of the village.

"The halftracks will over run us in there." Moffitt called over as the two jeeps raced side by side.

"We need the shelter to handle the planes. Once we take them out we head for open desert again." Troy called back.

Tully heard and understood what Troy meant to do. He took Moffitt one way while Hitch took Troy the other. The planes split up and each one chose a target. The pilots tried using bullets to catch the enemy jeeps but both drivers ducked behind low walls to cover their escape. It became a game of cat and mouse, each side trying to outsmart the other. Tully and Hitch knew they didn't have much time before the halftracks caught up with them and joined the fight. They had to get their sergeants in position to get those planes!

The first pilot took aim at Hitch's jeep as it dodged the rocks in the road. His twin streams of bullets passed close enough to leave grooves in the fender of the jeep. Hitch ducked into an alley, throwing Troy's aim off at the last second. The pilot pulled up and came around again.

Troy watched as the wings tipped as the pilot lined up for another shot at them. The plane was still coming in low, trying to get them the cheap way, using bullets instead of bombs. He was so low that Troy could see the look of concentration on the pilot's face through the cockpit bubble.

"Hitch, when I say, take a sharp turn and then stop."

Hitch nodded, his entire body tensed to react at a moment's notice.

Troy watched the plane come at them, its twin streams of bullets tearing up the sand toward the jeep. Counting the seconds until the projectiles would hit them, the sergeant braced for the sharp turn and sudden stop.

"Now!"

The jeep swerved onto an intersecting road, nearly going on two wheels as it made the turn. Hitch drove another dozen feet before he slid to an abrupt stop. Troy caught his balance and waited for the plane to come to them.

The pilot realized his danger and tried to turn away. The bullets from the 50 in Troy's hands tore gaping holes in the body of the plane. The sergeant kept up the stream of fire until the plane burst into flames. The pilot tried to pull up and eject but the controls were frozen. He went down with the plane as it hit the hills nearby. The resulting explosion shook the already unstable ruins in the village.

"Get us out of here!" Troy braced again as the jeep wheels spun in the sand in response to his order. When the tires caught the sand flew out behind them like a rooster's tail as they began their search for the other plane.

Meanwhile Tully and Moffitt had troubles of their own. The second plane had broken off and followed them when the jeeps split up and went their separate ways. Tully used the cover of one of the still standing buildings to hide from the plane. As soon as the plane passed them by he switched directions. He deftly dodged the debris in the road and ducked behind a crumbled wall. The pilot, expecting them to keep going forward, lost them for a minute. He was forced to make another pass before he noticed them next to the wall. The plane's wings tipped as he started his turn to come around again.

Moffitt, waiting for just such a maneuver, took aim at the cockpit as the plane tipped. The cockpit bubble shattered as the heavy bullets hit and penetrated it. A cloud of red mist on the front of the bubble was mute testimony to his marksmanship. The pilot slumped forward over the yolk, no longer caring if the plane flew or not. Moffitt leaned forward to tap his driver on the shoulder as the plane crashed just outside of the abandoned village.

"Let's see if we can help Troy."

Tully nodded and headed for the place where they had last seen Troy and Hitchcock. A loud boom and flying dirt and rocks reminded them that the halftracks were still after them. The first ones were rolling into the other edge of the village from the dunes beyond. Tully made another turn to put some crumbling buildings between them and his jeep. Both men searched the sky for the other plane.

"Troy!" Moffitt called out as soon as he spotted the other jeep headed their way.

"Where's the plane?" Troy called back, still scanning the sky.

"We got one." Moffitt answered.

Troy nodded. "We got one too. Those halftracks are getting close, time to go."

Neither driver needed further orders; they turned their jeeps toward the open desert.

Tully took the lead, his jeep clearing the ruins ahead of the second jeep. Hitch was three or four jeeps lengths behind when the shell hit. Sand and stone flew in every direction, throwing up so much dust that Hitch had to drive through a dust cloud. They had just come out of it when the next shell hit.

The jeep went airborne, its wheels spinning uselessly in the empty air. Hitch fought to hold the wheel steady as they landed with a thud. The jeep tilted onto two wheels and continued to move forward. Hitch tried to regain control but fate had other ideas. One of the front wheels fell into a hole and the jeep came to an abrupt stop before flipping onto its side.

Troy was thrown clear as the impact tore his fingers loose from the handles of the 50. He found himself flying through the air only to land roughly on the hard ground. He instinctively tucked and rolled. The landing left his head spinning and he had to shake it a couple of time to clear it. Bullets hitting the ground around him sent him ducking for cover. Crawling swiftly behind the frame of the overturned jeep, he armed himself with the only rifle within sight, Feeling better with the weapon in his hands, he took a chance to peek over the top of the jeep. Hot lead buzzed past his head almost immediately, forcing him to duck, but not before he spotted his driver lying motionless on the other side of the wreck.

The rattle of a 50 caliber machine gun close behind him told him that Tully and Moffitt were aware of the situation. Troy rose to his feet, preparing to run to where his driver lay unmoving.

"Troy, the halftracks are closing in." Moffitt yelled as the jeep slid to a stop behind him. Troy hesitated. "Troy, we have to go!" Moffitt's voice had taken on an urgent note.

Troy peered over the frame of the jeep one more time and saw the halftracks rapidly closing the gap between them. Hitch still hadn't moved. With a ragged cry Troy turned and jumped into the other jeep as Moffitt covered him with the 50. Tully hit the gas and the jeep tore away from the approaching Germans, leaving Hitch behind.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Village**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 2

Hitch opened his eyes and tried to remember where he was. At first he thought that he might be in a jeep because he could feel movement. His whole body hummed with the strength of the vibrations. Then he realized that he was on the ground and it was the sand that was vibrating. After that his thinking cleared and he recognized the heavy rumble of the approaching halftracks.

The battle still raged but none of the shells were landing anywhere near him. He could still hear the 50 caliber that belonged to Tully and Moffitt firing off in the distance. He realized that the battle had moved past, leaving him to fend for himself. Knowing that if he wanted to survive he would have to get out of the way of the armored vehicles he looked for the nearest shelter.

He spotted the overturned jeep right away. He tried to rise to see if he could spot Troy but the movement sent excruciating pain down his back. The slightest movement of his head was almost more than he could stand, causing his stomach to roll in revolt. Sharp pains tore through his body, making him feel weak and helpless. Every time he tried to move at all the muscles in his back would seize up making him groan with pain.

He forced his body to roll, the results almost making him black out. The nearest shelter was one of the bombed out buildings. He could see holes in the foundation that looked big enough to crawl through. Clenching his jaws against the pain, he began to pull himself toward the nearest hole. The first time he tried to use his left arm he found that it would not respond to his commands. His left leg was also being rebellious. It would move a bit, but he couldn't do any more than drag it at best. His hip felt bruised but he didn't think it was broken. He forced his right side to do all of the work as he fought to bite back the screams.

The sound of a halftrack running into or over some of the debris from the building galvanized him into action. Clenching his jaws, he managed to reach the hole in the building's foundation. He pulled himself through one handed just as the halftrack stopped near the jeep. He heard someone shouting and two soldiers jumped from the halftrack and ran toward the wreckage of his jeep. Looking around he saw light coming through more holes in the foundation; holes that were big enough to crawl through. He pulled himself toward a hole that he hoped would let him out on the other side of the building.

As he reached another hole in the foundation that opened into the air outside, he stopped to listen for enemy soldiers. He didn't hear any talking or sounds of footsteps outside. In the distance the battle still raged, getting further away as he listened. Taking a risk, he slid clumsily through the hole. He didn't try to turn to look for the Germans; his back wouldn't allow him to move any more than absolutely necessary. If they saw him he would know it soon enough. He hoped they were still searching around the jeep. He hadn't seen Troy. For a moment he wanted to go back and see if his sergeant had gotten away, but common sense held him in place. If Troy had been captured, there was nothing he could do to help. Getting himself captured too would only add to the sergeant's worries. The Germans would naturally search the jeep for anyone left behind, that didn't mean that they knew someone had been left behind. Maybe they hadn't seen Moffitt and Tully pick up Troy. Or maybe they had only seen them pick up one man. They could only be hunting for him, which meant he had to move or risk capture. The first building didn't provide enough concealment to hide him for long. He pulled himself toward the foundation of the second building.

The second building had a lot more beams lying crisscrossed underneath the floors. He saw several that might lead deeper into the pile of rubble that had once been someone's house. He thought again about the pictures from the earthquake. He almost stopped moving, almost preferring capture to being trapped underneath the home. Only the thought of putting the others in danger to rescue him kept him going. He knew they would come back for him. If Troy had been captured the others would rescue him too so he didn't feel quite as bad about possibly leaving the sergeant to fend for himself.

Hitch had never considered himself to be claustrophobic but the tight space under the beams made it seem hard to breathe. His heart was beating faster and he could feel the sharp edge of panic fighting for control. All he wanted to do was get back out into the bright sunlight, Germans or no Germans. He had to take a deep breath and force himself to go on. He had to find a better hiding place or the Germans would find him the first time they used a flashlight to look under the foundation.

There was another beam that had fallen against a stone pillar that supported the floor; Hitch could see a darker space behind it. If he could fit his body in there it might give him better protection. As he got closer he could tell that the opening was smaller than he had first thought. His body might fit if he could curl up in a ball but that would be impossible considering his injuries. He was looking for another option when he heard them.

The voices were close and he could hear someone walking around outside. There were more of them now, more than just the original two. They sounded like they were searching the fallen buildings. Hitch wiggled tighter against the beam, listening to the search. His foot slid under the beam and he could feel at least a little open space behind it. He froze as a beam of light swept through the darkness.

The German soldier dropped to his stomach and stuck his head into the opening in the foundation. His hand holding the flashlight was blocking his view but he didn't care. He didn't want to stick his head in there if an enemy soldier was hiding inside. The flashlight would give the enemy a perfect shot at him while he would be hampered by the light and the arm holding it. Putting self-preservation before proper procedure, he made a quick scan of the space under the house and pulled his head back out.

Hitch breathed a sigh of relief as the arm holding the flashlight withdrew from the opening. During the time that the light had been pointing around the space he had not spotted any better places to hide. He decided to stay where he was and try to get further behind the beam.

He gripped the beam with his good hand and pulled to see if it was solid. Dirt rained down on him as it shifted under the pressure. He wiped the dirt from his eyes and began to pull himself along the ground an inch at a time. The voices outside had moved away as they searched the other buildings in the town. He figured he had a little while before they returned to this building.

His wiggling got him behind the beam only to find that this space was small too. He still didn't have a place big enough to fit his entire body. He was certain that if the Germans came back for a better look they would still find him. He pushed against the next beam. This one shifted under the pressure but no dirt fell. He decided to chance it and find out what was behind it. To his delight there was another space, this one felt bigger. He paused to catch his breath and try to get a feel for the size of the space. His back was no better after all of the moving and he needed to stop and rest. The darkness closed in around him once he didn't have anything to do to distract him. The creaking of the beams and the groaning of the stones seemed alive to him. He remembered thinking that the rescuers from the earthquake were taking a big chance digging under the wrecked homes. The article accompanying the pictures has stressed the possibility of more settling as the work progressed. He hoped that the vibrations of the halftracks leaving wouldn't cause his sanctuary to crumble down around his ears.

As he lay in the dark and waited for his heartbeat to return to normal he took stock of his injures. He didn't think anything was broken but there was definitely a lot of bruising. The tendon in his leg had tightened up until he couldn't straighten his leg. The hip just felt bruised. His exploring hand had found a little blood where he had hit a rock or part of a foundation but he didn't think it was bad. His most serious injury was the pulled muscle in is back. At least he hoped it was only pulled. He didn't know much about torn muscles or tendons. He did know that they could be serious, especially if not treated right away. All in all he felt like he had fared rather well; he wasn't bleeding to death and he hadn't been captured.

He was rested enough to continue his exploring when he heard it. It was faint at first, he wasn't sure that he had really heard it. He listened for a minute but it didn't repeat itself. He went back to exploring. He found another place to go around the beam in his way. Maybe not around, he thought as he felt around for some space; maybe under. It was almost high enough for him to slide under if he didn't pass out when his back hit the beam.

Then he heard the noise again, closer this time. It sounded like it was coming from right outside the opening he had used to get inside. It was a bullhorn, and he recognized the voice of the man using it.

"Private, we know you are in there. Come out and no harm will come to you."

Hitch tensed as Captain Dietrich repeated the call. How could they know he was in here? Had they spotted him earlier? That didn't make sense; they wouldn't have searched the other buildings if they knew where he was, unless they were searching for Troy too. Again he was tempted to give himself up to see what had happened to his sergeant. Only he couldn't do it. Sarge would be furious if he did that. Sarge would want him to stay free and wait for the others. Hitch crowded closer to the new beam and waited.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Village**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 3

Troy and Moffitt watched anxiously as Dietrich and his men searched the rubble. After the Germans had given up chasing them the Rat Patrol had circled back to look for their missing man. The Germans were already there ahead of them.

"Hitch must have regained consciousness and hidden before Dietrich got to him." Moffitt suggested as they watched the search.

"Maybe." Troy admitted. "Or maybe he didn't see you pick me up and he's looking for me. He may already have Hitch as a prisoner."

Moffitt used his glassed to search the vehicles parked around the village. "There are gunners in the halftracks but I don't see anyone else."

"Hitch could be unconscious, or tied." Troy responded with a shrug. "If he is lying down we wouldn't see him in the back."

"I would think that Dietrich would still have a guard on him as long as the rest of us are free." The British sergeant responded.

Troy looked over at his second but didn't make any comment. He watched the German captain as he shouted orders to his men.

"That scout plane must have sighted our tracks and called Dietrich."

"Yeah." Troy nodded. "That would explain how he knew we were coming and where we would be. All he had to do was get into position and wait for us to come to him."

"He knows we'll come back for Hitch too."

"Yeah."

Moffitt smiled at Troy's tone. "I'm not suggesting that we leave him Troy, I'm merely pointing out the obvious."

"You mean like he might be staging this search to keep our attention while he sends someone to sneak up behind us?"

"That is one possibility."

Troy grinned without humor and turned toward their parked jeep. "Tully, be ready, we may have to leave in a hurry. Keep your eyes open in case we get some uninvited company."

Tully looked up at the sergeants and nodded. He was too far away to have heard their conversation but he had already thought about the Germans trying to sneak up on them. He had taken the time to take care of the jeeps while the sergeants looked for any sign of Hitch. He had also made sure that they pulled into the wadi with easy access to an escape route in case they needed to leave in a hurry. If the sergeants thought he had been sitting there twiddling his thumbs they were wrong, he had been on alert the entire time. No one was going to sneak up on them before they had had a chance to find their missing man.

Troy watched as the soldiers with flashlights checked the foundations of the buildings. None of them tried to crawl in but they couldn't know that Hitch wasn't armed. It took a while for them to check all of the buildings. Troy thought that it was unlikely that Hitch would have crossed the main street through the town with all of the Germans present and searching for him. Of course Dietrich didn't know if Hitch was armed, or hurt, or how long before their arrival he had hidden. It all made it that much more dangerous for his driver since the Germans were already nervous about searching for him. Troy hoped they didn't shoot first and ask questions later.

"He doesn't seem to be having much luck. Perhaps Hitch wasn't badly hurt. He may have gotten further than we think."

Troy turned to look toward Tully before he responded. "If it was anybody but Dietrich I'd be worried that he'd shoot Hitch once he surrenders."

Moffitt frowned. "You think Hitch is going to surrender?"

"I don't know." Troy answered. "I don't know how badly he was hurt when the jeep flipped. He may need medical attention."

"He may not be hurt at all. Dietrich's men didn't act like they were following any blood trails." The other sergeant suggested hopefully.

"I noticed that, but that doesn't mean that he's not hurt."

"I don't think that they've found him Troy."

"I hope not, but if they did, we're going to have to go in and rescue him."

"Are we at least going to check the town first?"

"Only if we don't see him leave with Dietrich."

They watched as Dietrich returned to his halftrack and retrieved a bullhorn. It was too far to hear what he was saying but it strengthened their belief that he hadn't found Hitch yet. Using the bullhorn, Dietrich had his men cover the entire town again. The sergeants watched the entire search but they didn't catch so much as a hint as to where their missing man might be. The German captain seemed resigned as he returned the bullhorn to his halftrack.

"He's giving up." Moffitt announced.

"Not Dietrich." Troy answered. "Maybe he's just giving Hitch a chance to think about his choices."

The German soldiers surrounded the town and stood watch as Dietrich ordered some of his men to fill their water containers. He stood with his hands clasp behind his back, watching the activity. His men were watching for the missing 'rat' to try or move from his hiding place. They were all told to remain silent and listen for any noises that might mean they had found him. So far he had remained quiet, not giving them any clue as to where he was hiding. Dietrich didn't want to, but he had to consider more drastic options.

He turned to his halftrack for a canteen. The short hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He was fairly certain that Sergeant Troy and the rest of his men were watching them. He debated loading his men and just driving away. He could justify abandoning the search; he had wounded who needed to get back to the base. And there was no proof that the American private had even been left behind. It was possible that he made his way out of the town while they were chasing the others. He could have even been picked up at the same time as Sergeant Troy and no one had noticed. Only, the feeling of being watched seemed to justify the need for the search. No, he was convinced that there was a 'rat' hiding somewhere among all of this rubble and it was his duty to find him.

Dietrich stared off into the desert as he thought about the problem. He could call for his surrender again but he was not expecting any different results. Troy and his men had proven over and over again just how stubborn they could be in these matters. He knew without a single doubt that if he did manage to capture one of Troy's men the others would be paying him a visit. In a way he even respected them for their devotion to each other. It was a pain, causing him trouble time and time again, but he couldn't help but envy them the closeness they had developed. Still, it was a problem; one that he was duty bound to resolve. They were the enemy and it was his responsibility to try to capture or kill them. The thought gave him no pleasure as he was thoroughly tired of death, no matter which side it claimed.

He reached for the bullhorn. His men tensed as he walked to the first building. The holes in the foundation seemed to mock him. His own men had not tried to crawl in there. They all had personal experience, or had been told tales of how dangerous their quarry could be. He didn't blame them. Even now he noticed how some of them scanned the desert around them nervously. They had no idea how the others would react to what they planned to do next. Those who could sense the watchers were looking over their shoulders, expecting the jeep, there was only one now, to come roaring in and spew death to those who dare threaten one of their own. Dietrich found himself doing the same thing. Lifting the bullhorn he called out loud enough for the sound to carry through the demolished structure.

"Private, come out, or at least make your presence known. If you are wounded we can help you." He waited, not really expecting an answer. "Private, if you don't come out we will have no choice but to open fire. The bullets will ricochet Private. You will be killed. This is your last chance." The Captain waited, hoping against all odds for a reaction from the Allied soldier. Finally, reluctantly, he gave the order.

His soldiers crouched in front of the openings in the foundations and fired into the spaces under the houses. Some of the bullets hit the wooden beams but the others hit rock and bounced around. They listened closely but there were no grunts of pain or screams of agony. A breath he didn't realize he was holding escaped in a long exhale. Moving to the next building he repeated his offer and his warning.

Out in the desert the two sergeants watched his actions and gripped their binoculars tightly. The buildings all had stone foundations and they knew all too well what happened when bullets hit stone. They didn't even have the option of listening for sounds from under the rubble. All they could do was watch and see how the German soldiers reacted each time they open fire.

The shooting continued for several minutes as the soldiers made sure they covered every angle under the buildings' foundation. Then Dietrich would wait a few minutes before he repeated the procedure at the next building. One after another he worked his way up one side of the street and down the other.

Tully heard the shooting and straightened by his jeep. He glanced up at the sergeants but they didn't tell him what was happening. Both men were watching the Germans intently, their body language telegraphing their concern. Tully wanted to run up the slope and see for himself, but he stayed with the jeep. If his buddy needed him he could do the most good behind the wheel of a jeep.

The shots continued at intervals as the Germans moved from building to building.

Troy and Moffitt watched anxiously until Dietrich put his bullhorn back in the halftrack. His soldiers took their flashlights and made another round, this time sticking their heads into the holes in the foundations. Troy figured they were checking for a body. The first explosion took him by surprise as one after another the Germans threw grenades into the openings.

Dietrich stood near the overturned jeep and looked at the surrounding hills. He still felt like he was being watched but he was beginning to think that it was a false alarm. He couldn't believe that Troy would have allowed him to carry out his unpleasant task without interference if he had a man hiding in the ruins. He had decided that the Rat Patrol was halfway back to their own lines by now. Calling to his men he ordered them to return to their vehicles.

Moffitt and Troy watched as they formed a column and headed into the hills toward their base.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Village**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

"Why that…."

Moffitt grabbed Troy as the other sergeant tried to get to his feet.

Troy jerked his arm free, temporarily transferring his anger to the British sergeant. "Keep your hands off me!"

Moffitt dropped his hand, giving the other man some space. He didn't move away though, just in case Troy tried to do something reckless. "Getting yourself shot won't help Hitch."

Troy didn't answer but the light in his eyes slowly dimmed. As his immediate reaction faded his shoulders slumped and he dropped his head. "There's not much chance Hitch survived those grenades if he was under one of those buildings."

Moffitt relaxed a bit and slid down the hill so he could sit up without being exposed to the Germans. "We aren't even sure he was in there. It is possible that Dietrich staged that entire search to draw us out. If he found Hitch he would know that we would be back to look for him, we've already agreed on that point."

"But you argued that he hadn't found him." Troy reminded him.

Moffitt tilted his head and smiled. "I was just making sure that you considered all of the options. There is only one way to know for sure."

"Then why the grenades? He'd want us to think that Hitch was still alive."

Moffitt considered the answer before he spoke. "Perhaps he thinks we will throw caution to the wind to find Hitch after his little act. It's possible he wanted us to be distracted. He may be trying to circle around behind us as we speak."

"Or he could have thrown the grenades in there because he couldn't get Hitch any other way."

Moffitt's smile was sadder this time. "That is a possibility."

Troy rolled onto his stomach and crawled back up to where he could see the departing German column. "He's just sneaky enough to try something like that. Hitch was out cold when you picked me up. Dietrich could have found him before he regained consciousness and tied him up to keep him quiet."

"There is only one way to find out."

Troy nodded, a new determination giving his voice a sharp edge. "Drop me off in town while you and Tully check on Dietrich. See if you can spot any sign of Hitch. If Dietrich looks like he's going to turn around you can beat it back here and pick me up."

"Don't get too preoccupied Troy, you'll be all alone down there."

"I'll be careful." Troy nodded. "You and Tully need to be careful too; you won't have any back up. Dietrich may be watching for us to follow. It's really hard to figure what that kraut is thinking." He glanced at the jeep where Tully was keeping watch behind them. "Let's explain the plan to Tully while the column gets out of our way."

Tully listened as the sergeants explained the plan. He didn't say it but his gut told him that Hitch was still in the town below them. When they suggested that Dietrich might be planning a trap he had to agree. Something felt off about the column's departure, almost like they were waiting for something. Tully vowed to himself, for all their sakes, to be extra careful about following the column.

They approached the village cautiously. Moffitt cleared the chamber on the 50 and held tight to the handles. Troy gripped the machine gun in his lap like their lives depended on it; maybe they did. Tully drove slowly, searching each pile of rubble for anything out of place. They reached the outskirts of the abandoned town without incident, although none of them dropped their guard.

Troy slid out of the passenger seat as Tully pulled up next to the overturned jeep.

Tully expected to find German soldiers hiding behind it but there was no one there. The village was like a ghost town, hollow and empty, and quiet, really quiet. Tully thought that that was the spookiest part, the total silence. He hadn't really expected any sound but the silence made him uneasy. The thought of ghosts didn't bother him, he wasn't afraid of ghosts, it was the unnatural silence. It hadn't bothered him before, when they had stopped for water, and he couldn't really say why it bothered him now, it just did. He glanced around, half expecting, hoping, to see Hitch come running from wherever he had been hiding to hop in the jeep.

Troy had explained what Dietrich had done. Shooting into the openings had been bad enough, but the hand grenades had been overkill as far as Tully was concerned. With one jeep they weren't going to attack the column but Tully looked forward to the next time they met. He just hoped that the same German soldiers were along for their next encounter. Sarge always said not to let the war get personal but folks from Tully's neck of the woods had lived and died by the feud for generations. Tully figured to give the Germans a little taste of what that felt like. He wasn't planning on going all out but they would definitely get the message. Even if they hadn't known that Hitch was unarmed, they had him outnumbered, that should have counted for something.

"Meet me back here after you check out that column."

Moffitt nodded as Troy ordered them to leave him. Troy's fingers were gripping his weapon so tightly that his knuckles were white. Knowing what had happened to his driver was the only thing that was going to give him any peace. Moffitt hoped that they could answer that question with some degree of certainty. The shell wrecked buildings looked even worse after the grenades had been tossed under them. He didn't hold out much hope for finding their missing man among the wreckage. Just looking under there was dangerous, crawling under could be suicidal. "Good luck." He called, just in case.

Troy nodded that he'd heard but he was already on his knees trying to see under the first building.

"Sarge."

Troy turned to look just as Tully tossed him a flashlight. No more was said as the jeep pulled out to follow the column.

Troy didn't watch the others leave; he was already focused on searching the ruins. "Hitch!" Silence. "Hitch!" The only sound was the settling of dirt, rock, and timbers. The rocks grated together while the timbers screeched and groaned. The sergeant listened closely but he couldn't detect anything that sounded like it had a human origin. He knew the odds of anyone surviving the bullets and the grenades, but still he listened.

He heard a sound and frantically tried to move some of the stones so he could reach the source. He heard it again, something moving underneath the beams. He pulled a rock out and the sound was louder. He dropped the rock between his knees and dropped his head; it was a rock settling under the weight of the beams. He got to his feet and willed the sound to be something else; but it wasn't.

He stared at the building for a long time feeling the vibrations beneath his feet as the rocks and beams settled after the grenade explosions. His heart wanted to believe that Hitch was moving things, digging his way out, but his head would not go along with the lie.

He moved on to the second building, repeating his haunted call, listening to the silence. "Hitch!" He called again, about to move on to the next building. He started to leave when he thought he heard a muffled sound. He listened, holding his breath so his breathing wouldn't cover the sound. He heard it again, faint, almost too faint to hear.

He wiggled into the opening, listening to the beams settle. The sound was coming from somewhere nearer the center of the building. He crawled that way, careful not to touch anything. "Hitch!" He heard it again. He moved some rocks away from one of the beams, trying to find a way to move deeper into the building without disturbing the fallen timbers. The sound repeated itself, louder now that he had made an opening in the passage. It was rock on rock, but it wasn't natural. He listened as it repeated again.

"Hitch!"

The sound echoed through the hollow spaces until it got lost in the dark beyond the wooden beams. Using his flashlight Troy could see the damage that had been done by first the bullets and then the grenades. What hadn't been splintered by the shelling had taken a beating from the new explosion. Just like the first building, this one was still settling from the force of the grenade. Troy had to duck back as a beam fell, sending dust billowing into his face. "Hitch" He called again once the dust cleared. "Are you in there Hitch?" The silence dragged on, grating o his nerves. He was beginning to think that the sound was all in his mind. He yelled one more time, ready to move on to the next building. He was backing out when he heard it, it sounded like a cough.

"Hitch!" There it was again, deep in the darkness, but he knew he'd heard it. "Can you answer me Hitch?" He was excited now, daring to hope with both heart and mind. He didn't know how it was possible but he'd worry about that later. "Can you at least whistle, or tap on a stone, or something?" He waited anxiously.

"Sarge?" Faint, sounding like it took an effort, but music to his ears.

"Can you move?"

"Yeah." Another effort, but a successful one. "But I'm trapped in here, I can't get out." There was a note of panic in his driver's voice.

"Hold on, we'll come to you." Troy used the flashlight to find any openings leading further into the center of the building.

"There." Hitch called, his voice a bit stronger. "The flashlight beam is going right over me."

Troy followed the beam of light with his eyes but he couldn't spot his missing driver. He moved the light trying to pin point where he needed to go.

"It's gone now." Hitch sounded tired, alone, almost as if he thought the others had gone just because the light had moved.

"Hang on, we'll figure something out. Do you need anything?" He eyed the mess between them and wondered how they were going to reach him.

"Just get me out," Hitch sounded desperate.

"We will Hitch, just give us a little time."

"Okay Sarge." He sounded tired again. Troy thought that he sounded lost.

"We'll be back Hitch, I promise."

"Okay Sarge."

Troy worked his way carefully back to the hole he had crawled through originally. Unable to turn around, he backed out of the opening. He felt the rifle barrel press into his neck as soon as his head cleared the opening.

"Stand up slowly Sergeant."

The accent was thick but understandable. Troy rose carefully to his feet, keeping his hands in plain sight.

"I suppose it's true what they say about you and your men Sergeant."

"What's that?" Troy turned slowly to face the German officer. It was one he didn't recognize but his unit insignia marked him as one of Dietrich's men.

"Captain Dietrich, and others, have told me time and time again that your unit is hard to kill. I don't know how but it would seem that your man survived our attempts to kill him; so I will give you that one Sergeant. They also said that you are hard to capture. I haven't found that to be the case."

"He's unarmed." Troy growled. "You could have given him a chance to surrender."

"The Captain gave him several chances." The officer answered coldly. "He ignored them all."

"Maybe he was unconscious." Troy suggested, "He was hurt."

"Then I'll give him one more chance. Call him out Sergeant."

"I can't." Troy shook his head. "He's trapped, he can't get out."

"That's too bad. I'm afraid we don't have time to dig him out. Come along Sergeant, we are due to rejoin the Captain's column."

"What about Hitch? You can't just leave him there."

The officer gave an order and two soldiers stepped forward and tied Troy's hands. They grabbed his arms to pull him away as he resisted.

"Don't worry Sergeant, we'll see to your man." The lieutenant promised.

Troy still resisted as the soldiers tried to move him. The lieutenant turned to another soldier and pointed to the foundation of the building. The soldier nodded and ran off toward the other edge of the village.

"Where's he going?"

"To our patrol car to inform the Captain that we have you and will be rejoining him soon. Then he will get what he needs to take care of your trapped private."

Troy allowed the soldiers to prod him toward the hidden patrol car. "Does the Captain have the equipment to dig him out?" The lieutenant, walking ahead appeared not to have heard the question. Troy repeated it, louder this time, as the patrol car came into sight.

The officer stopped and waited for Troy and his guards to catch up. "The Captain has heavy trucks, and I'm sure enough man power, to move the building off of your man."

Troy began to relax again, they would get Hitch out.

"Unfortunately the Captain is a very busy man." The lieutenant continued. "He hasn't the time to waste on one man, and an enemy soldier at that." The lieutenant turned as the soldier signed off on the radio and reached into the patrol car for something. He smiled when Troy saw the grenade. "I've ordered another grenade thrown under the building. Surely one more will get the job done, after all, that building is very unstable." He smiled again as Troy tensed, ready to fight his guards. "Come now Sergeant would you rather he die of thirst, or from his injuries? This is much more humane don't you think?"

Troy glared at the German. He caught a movement behind and above the patrol car and dove for the ground. Expecting him to attack them, the Germans were taken by surprise. Bullets flew and the soldier with the grenade dropped in his tracks. Troy took advantage of the confusion to roll under the patrol car and out the other side. More bullets tore up the ground around the remaining Germans.

"Don't move!" Moffitt called in German. "We have a 50 caliber machine gun that will cut you to ribbons if you try to fight."

The lieutenant made a move to try to duck behind the car but a bullet crippled his shoulder. He fell, writhing on the ground, as his remaining men dropped their weapons.

"Are you all right Troy?"

"Yeah." Troy growled. He glared at the officer on the ground.

Tully got to his feet from behind the 50 and slid down the slope to Troy. Pulling his long knife he sliced the ropes that bound the sergeant's hands. "Did I hear right? You found Hitch?"

"Yeah Tully, I found him." Troy replied, rubbing his wrists. "But he's trapped and he can't get out. And these guys called Dietrich and told him I was here. If we don't show up pretty soon he'll probably turn around and come back to see what is going on. I don't know if we can get Hitch out in time."

"Let him do it." Tully handed Troy a weapon and stepped toward the prisoners to search them.

"Then we'd have to rescue Hitch from him, and we know he'd be waiting for us." Troy growled as he watched Tully search their prisoners. "There's rope in the car, tie them up." Tully found the rope and cut it into pieces. He had all four prisoners tied before Troy spoke again. "Maybe you're right Tully."

"Of course I am." Tully gave Troy a crooked grin. "Dietrich has the men to dig him out. He has those halftracks too if he needs to pull any heavy stuff out of the way. It's going to be easier to take him from Dietrich than it would be for us to dig him out before Dietrich gets here. And the Captain has a doctor if Hitch is hurt." Tully let worry cloud his eyes for just a moment. "Did you find out if he was hurt?"

"I didn't get a chance to ask Tully, but it sounds like it. He said he could move but he couldn't get out. He sounded tired."

"Okay, let Dietrich do the hard work and we'll get Hitch while Dietrich sleeps."

"I've got a better idea."

Tully grinned.

"You and Moffitt take the jeep. I'll transport our prisoners in their car. Once we put some distance between us and here we'll stop and call the captain."

"Call him what Sarge, because I have a few suggestions?"

"We're going to offer him a deal."

Moffitt eyed the prisoners as he realized what Troy had in mind. "A four for one deal?"

"As long as they all behave." Troy eyed the lieutenant. "We can always offer three for one and sweeten the pot if everyone behaves. After all, Dietrich is going to be doing all of the hard work."

"Couldn't very well offer four and only deliver three." The Brit responded with a smile. "That wouldn't be very gentlemen like."

"Explain the deal to the others; it might save us some trouble later. There's no sense getting themselves killed if we're going to give them back anyway."

Moffitt made the explanations and the three enlisted men looked relieved at the chance to return to their unit. Only the lieutenant remained sullen.

"How did you know I was in trouble?" Troy asked as Moffitt helped him load the prisoners.

"Tully spotted what looked like tire tracks leaving the column. Only bits of tracks, the Germans tried to cover them up. I would have ignored them but Tully wasn't having it. He insisted that we check them out. It's fortunate that we did. We found the car and Tully pulled the 50 to give us more firepower. He set it up where it would do the most good. Our Tully isn't very happy with Jerry right now."

Troy laughed. "I understand how he feels. I guess I owe him a thank-you."

"He was doing his job, according to him. He seems to really be focused right now."

"Good." Troy replied. "This could get dicey if Dietrich doesn't agree to our terms. He's going to know for sure that Hitch is in there if we offer him the deal."

"He'll take it." Moffitt assured him. "The Captain doesn't like losing men either. Three or four for one, he won't be able to refuse."

"He might risk it for the chance to lure us into a trap." Troy climbed behind the wheel and waited until Tully and Moffitt were ready. He led the way out into the open desert, looking for the spot he wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Village**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 5

Dietrich received the radio call from the young officer he had left behind. He hadn't wanted to leave anyone but the lieutenant wanted so badly to prove himself. The only reason he had agreed in the end was because he was convinced that the Rat Patrol had picked up all of their men and was far away from the village. The radio message had shattered that belief.

The lieutenant had sent word that he had captured Sergeant Troy and that another of the unit was safely trapped under a building. 'Safely' was not a word the Captain used much when the Rat Patrol was involved. He knew how protective Troy was of his men and how loyal they were to each other. He had turned around as soon as he got the message. Now he was wondering how his driver could coax more sped out of the heavy halftrack.

The lieutenant's message hadn't mentioned the other two members of Troy's team. Dread filled him as he remembered how easily the lieutenant had brushed aside his concerns about the Allied team. Despite all of the warnings he had been given, Dietrich didn't think the young officer fully appreciated what he was up against.

The Captain couldn't help but admire the sergeant for his loyalty to his men. Likewise he held the others in high regard for their loyalty to their team and to each other. If one of them was still trapped in the village, the Captain was sure that the others were still around. Obviously his earlier feeling of being watched had been correct after all. He wouldn't make that mistake again. He just hoped that they could reach the young officer before it was too late.

As the column neared the village he had his driver turn off to follow the path the patrol car had taken. Dietrich knew where the young officer had concealed his car while waiting to spring his trap. A single set of tire tracks led in the direction they were following. The Captain shook his head, he had instructed the lieutenant to erase his tracks so they would not be found. Another look at the tracks and his dread deepened. He realized that the tire tracks were too narrow for a patrol car; they had been made by an American jeep. The Captain took a firmer grip on his halftrack and willed the vehicle to go faster.

The body was right where it had dropped. Dietrich spotted it as soon as they rounded the dune. The patrol car was gone though, so maybe that was a good sign. Before they reached the turn for this particular wadi the jeep tracks had turned and gone a different way, maybe they hadn't found the car. For just a moment the Captain allowed himself to hope that the lieutenant had gotten away.

He climbed down from his vehicle to read the signs around the body. One person had approached, most likely to confirm death and collect his weapon. There was a grenade clutched tightly in his hand, left behind by whoever had taken his rifle. There were a lot of tracks near where the car had been parked, confusing tracks that were hard to read in the soft sand.

"Captain."

Dietrich looked up to see his second-in-command standing at the top of the dune.

"There was a vehicle up here Captain." He held out his hand, exposing bright shell casings. "They are American."

Dietrich nodded, so they had fallen afoul of the sergeant's other men. He doubted that Troy would have let them go free to give chase if he still had a man trapped in the village. Dietrich gave the order to spread out and look for the patrol car. He didn't hold out much hope for his men.

"Captain!"

Dietrich was just climbing back into his halftrack to help with the search when his radio operator called to him. The man held the headphones out for the captain to take. "Lieutenant Stetler?"

The radio operator shook his head no and shrugged that he didn't recognize the voice.

Dietrich took the mic and headphones. "Dietrich here."

"Hello Captain." The greeting in English didn't surprise Dietrich as much as it should have.

"Sergeant."

"I guess you know by now that we have four of your men."

"Do you Sergeant?" The Captain looked around at the surrounding dunes while keeping his voice cool.

"There's no sense looking for us Captain, we're several miles away."

Dietrich doubted that or the sergeant wouldn't have known he was looking for them.

"Don't try finding us Captain, we can see you long before you reach us and that would be bad for your men." Dietrich could hear Troy's chuckle as he frowned.

"If you have them, are they all right?"

"Yes we have them." Troy repeated. "The enlisted men are fine. The lieutenant has a bullet in his shoulder but Moffitt got the bleeding stopped. So far that's the only damage."

"So far? What is it you want Sergeant?"

"You know what I want Captain, a deal, your men for mine."

"I don't have any of your men."

"Forget it Captain. You know Hitch is still in there, your lieutenant told you that when he told you about me." Troy's growl sounded hoarse over the radio. "So I'm willing to trade three for one."

"Three?"

"Yeah, your lieutenant is a little bit suicidal. I don't want to make promises I can't keep so I'm not including him in the deal."

"Suicidal in what way?"

"Well, first off, he tried to kill Hitch again, even after I told him Hitch was unarmed and trapped." Dietrich could hear the fury in the sergeant's tone. "I might be able to overlook that in return for your help, but I won't tolerate any more trouble from him."

The Captain considered his answer. He knew that Troy and his team did not kill unarmed prisoners. If the lieutenant was giving them trouble, it would have to be something serious, that or the sergeant really was at the end of his patience. Either scenario was dangerous for the lieutenant. "May I speak with my lieutenant?"

"Sure, but just for a minute; I'd really like to get down to business before we lose daylight."

A moment later Lieutenant Stetler's voice came over the radio. "Captain?"

"Are you all right Lieutenant?"

"Yes Captain, a shoulder wound, no more."

"Good. Now I want you to listen to me very carefully. We are going to try to get you back but you must stay alive until we can arrange it. Do not do anything to get yourself, or your men, killed. Do you understand?"

"It is my duty to escape Captain."

"It is your duty to stay alive to serve the good of our cause." The Captain answered coldly. He could just picture the look on Troy's face at this exchange. "You are bound by my orders. I am ordering you to remain calm and do nothing to force the sergeant or his men to shoot you."

"Yes Sir."

"Good. I'd like to speak to Sergeant Troy now."

"Okay Captain." Troy's voice crackled over the radio's headset. "Here's the deal. Hitch is still trapped under one of those houses. We need you to dig him out."

"Why me?"

"You have the men and the equipment. You can use the halftracks to move the heavier rocks. We want him out before dark. Once he's out we'll meet and make the exchange."

"And if I refuse?"

"You won't Captain. Three, maybe four men for one, you'll take the deal."

The Captain frowned at Troy's confidence. He wanted to refuse, just to rattle the Sergeant's composure, but he knew he wouldn't. He couldn't refuse to trade for his four men. It was his fault that the men had been captured. He should not have allowed the young officer to stay behind, or at least given him more men. It was too late for that, but he could still save them.

"All right Sergeant, you have a deal." He paused as another though crossed his mind. "What happens if Private Hitchcock dies before we reach him? I assume he's been hurt."

"As long as you're careful and aren't the cause of his death we'll stand by the agreement." Troy answered. "Don't for a minute forget that we will be watching."

"That's hardly a possibility Sergeant. All right, we'll do our best to get him out safely." There was that word again and this time he had used it. "Can you at least tell us where to look?"

"Second building from the jeep. He's somewhere around the middle of the building. Be careful Captain, the grenade made the rubble unstable."

"Your concern is touching." Dietrich replied.

"I'm not worried about you Captain; just don't drop the building on Hitch."

Dietrich huffed. "I suspect it was unstable even before the grenade went off."

"You shouldn't have thrown those grenades in there Captain, he wasn't even armed." Dietrich could hear what sounded like disappointment in the sergeant's voice.

Dietrich sighed. "It was a judgement call Sergeant. I had no way of knowing he was unarmed and wounded. I did give him several opportunities to surrender. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't even convinced that he was in there. I called for his surrender and warned him of what I was about to do."

"Yeah, I know, that's the only reason we're still talking."

Dietrich didn't know what to say in response to that but it didn't matter, Troy disconnected the call. He was tempted to call him back just so he could be the one to hang up for once, but that would be childish. With a sigh he gave the order to return to the village.

He had his men set the jeep back on its wheels and move it out of the way so that the halftracks could reach the building where the private was trapped. The building looked even worse than it had when he had looked under it earlier. He could hear the beams and rocks moving as the rubble settled. It didn't look like anyone could have survived under there even without his efforts to find them.

Glancing at the sun, he began to designate men to clear the rubble. They had to move everything carefully, small movements that wouldn't send the whole thing crashing down. He planned to have the halftracks pull the larger pieces away from the foundation as they cleared it so that they had room to move. Others would pick up the smaller pieces that were on top and get them out of the way. He had others watching for any movement that might mean the beams were shifting. He was worried that his men would get trapped and hurt while trying to free the American. He still couldn't figure out how anyone could be alive in there. With all of his preparations complete, he reached for his bullhorn to locate the private.

"Private, Private, I know you're in there. Your sergeant has put me in charge of getting you out. It would help if I knew where you were trapped." There was no answer. Rising, the Captain went to the next opening and tried again. He tried every opening he could find with the same results. He didn't know if he should be angry at the young soldier for not trusting him or worried that he might be too badly injured to reply. He ordered his men to begin the rescue operation.

Every ten minutes or so he would repeat his call, each time he was greeted with silence. While he was kneeling next to a hole the beams shifted and the entire pile of rubble groaned and sent dust flying into the air. He threw himself backwards, startled. As he landed on his backside he thought he heard a startled yelp. Picking himself up, he leaned back toward the hole.

"Private Hitchcock, we are here to help."

"Dietrich?"

"Yes Private. Sergeant Troy has put me in charge of your rescue."

"Then Sarge didn't get away?" The young soldier's voice sounded weak and far away. There was a weird echoing quality to it that Dietrich couldn't place.

"I'm afraid he did Private." The Captain answered in an attempt to reassure the trapped man. He didn't understand it but he felt as though he should try to convince the youth that he hadn't been deserted. "He managed to escape with four of my men. We have a deal, I save you and we trade men."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"You have my word as an officer." Dietrich replied. "Besides, what choice do you have? According to your sergeant, you aren't able to get out of there on your own."

"Yeah, there is that." The private's voice floated out to him. "I'm awfully tired Captain, I need to sleep." Dietrich tried to get another response but all that greeted his questions was silence.

The work was slow going. They couldn't move anything without checking for the injured man first. They still didn't know where exactly to look for him. Troy had said somewhere near the middle but that covered a lot of ground. Dietrich began to watch the sun nervously. The shadows were making it hard to see into the rubble as they tried to move the beams. He didn't want to risk harm to anyone by continuing into the evening hours as the sun quickly fled the sky. Reluctantly he went to call Troy.

"I have spoken with him Sergeant but he fell asleep and I haven't heard from his since. He said that he was very tired." The German officer tried to ask for more time without losing any ground in the negotiations. "I fear we will do more harm than good if we continue in the dark Sergeant."

"What's taking so long Captain?"

"We don't know his exact location and we can't move anything without making sure it won't hurt him first. This is not my area of expertise Sergeant. If you think you can do better, be my guest." Dietrich was tired and irritable and it showed. "I'm sorry Sergeant," he continued after a moment, "this is delicate work, and it takes a toll. I will get Private Hitchcock out, I just need more time. It is my opinion that we should wait until morning to continue. To do so tonight might prove disastrous."

Troy sighed loudly over the radio. "All right Captain, morning then. But he's definitely going to need a doctor by then."

"There is one waiting, he will go to work the moment it is safe for him to do so." The Captain promised.

"Good night Captain." Troy ended the call again. Dietrich sighed and ordered his men to make camp for the night,

Morning found the Germans hard at work. They sifted through the broken stone and wood, looking for any sign of the trapped man. Dietrich stood beside the area they had cleared and called out to the American.

"Private, are you awake?"

"Dietrich, you're still out there? I thought you gave up."

"No Private, we aren't giving up. We will get you out."

"Good, because I don't like it in here." Hitch coughed as dust filled his lungs.

"How badly are you hurt?"

"I'll live Captain, that is, if I ever get out of here."

"Can you see the sky private?"

"No." Hitch coughed again. "There are beams in the way."

"All right, rest, I think we have your position pinpointed now. We'll get to you as fast as we can."

"Then what Captain? Not that it matters, I just want out of here."

"Then I trade you for my men as I explained yesterday. You have my word Private."

"Captain?"

"Yes?"

"Just in case I don't get the chance to do it right…I want to thank you for digging me out."

Dietrich heard the despair in the young soldier's tone. He felt a nearly uncontrollable urge to reassure him that everything would be all right, but he didn't know if it would. The private sounded definitely weaker today. He went back to work.

"Hey!"

"What's wrong Private?" Dietrich crowded closer to the work area and tried to spot the problem. They had been working for over an hour with no sound from the trapped man.

"That dirt almost hit me."

Dietrich smiled. "That means we are getting close." He tried to see any little bit of a body to tell them where he was. The voice was closer but it still sounded hollow. In an attempt to keep Hitch talking he asked a question that had been bothering him. "I must admit private, I am curious as to how you managed to survive this building falling on you."

Hitch chuckled and then coughed. "Can you keep the dust down, it makes me cough?"

"Your secret Private?" Dietrich pressed.

"Get me out of here and I'll tell you."

"All right, stay down and let us know if anything looks like it is going to fall on you."

"I am down." Hitch answered. "And as long as you don't block the opening I should be all right." Hitch's voice trailed off as he went into another fit of coughing. The coughing got weaker and weaker until it stopped. Dietrich couldn't get another response from the private after that.

They had a better idea where to dig now so they concentrated on that area. They moved the beams slowly, inch by inch, expecting to find the young American trapped under one of them.

"Captain!" The excited call brought Dietrich from where he was getting a drink. He stepped carefully through the rubble until he joined the soldier who had called him. The soldier was looking down at several beams that were crossed over one another. They looked like any other beams they had come across.

"What is it?"

"Look Captain." The soldier called for a flashlight. He pointed the flashlight beam at the wooden beams. Dietrich could make out what looked like a hole beneath the wood. Remnants of a trapdoor were splintered and lying around the gap under the rubble.

"Private?"

Dietrich heard something stirring beneath them. He listened as the sound moved closer. A pale face appeared in the opening that went deeper into the ground.

"You did it Captain, I was beginning to think I was never getting out of here." A cheer went up as the German soldiers realized that they had found what they were seeking.

"Can you get out now Private?"

"No. I hurt my back. I can hardly move Captain. If I try I just pass out."

"Stay back until we move these beams. I have a doctor here who can help you."

Hitch nodded but didn't move back. He stared up at the sunlight coming into his darkness and waited.

The Germans were careful moving the beams. They didn't want to get this far just to fail. Even if Hitch was an American, they felt pride in their accomplishment; they had saved a human life. As the last beam was pulled aside the doctor dropped into the hole. He examined Hitch and called for a stretcher. He had Dietrich explain that they needed to tie Hitch to the stretcher to keep him from rolling off as they lifted him out of the hole. Hitch didn't argue, he just wanted out!

Dietrich could almost feel Troy's anxiety as they pulled the young private from the hole. Thinking about a bit of payback, he didn't go to the radio right away. He wanted to see how long Troy would hold out before he made the call himself.

The German soldiers cheered again as the stretcher was lifted and carried to a shady spot on the ground. It didn't seem to matter to them that the rescued man was an enemy soldier. They all looked jubilant that they had saved a life. Dietrich wasn't surprised, they were probably as tired of killing as he was. He welcomed the chance to celebrate life instead of death, it happened so seldom in wartime.

"How is he doctor?"

The doctor looked up and shrugged. "He has some sort of blunt force injury. His left side is black and blue and he has limited use of his arm and leg on that side. There may be muscle damage to his back. I can't ask him any questions because apparently he doesn't speak any German."

"You ask the questions and I will translate Doctor."

Dietrich looked into the pale, sweaty face of his enemy and translated the questions. He also translated the answers.

Hitch fought the nausea that threatened to turn his stomach inside out. His back was one massive ball of fire. It felt like someone had taken the muscles and tied them into one giant knot, even moving his head made him want to cry out in pain, only not on front of the Germans.

His hip and leg weren't much better but he could at least forget about them when his back demanded attention. Not that he really wanted to go with that solution. He felt light headed from being lifted out of the cellar despite being tied to the stretcher. The doctor had thoughtfully wrapped his head so that it couldn't roll during the move. Hitch was grateful.

He had his eyes squeezed shut trying to hold down the contents of his stomach when the doctor touched his hip.

"Does that hurt?"

Hitch gasped and clenched his jaw against the pain.

"I'll take that as a yes. Some answers don't need translations." Dietrich peered at the patient with sympathy. "Can you tell us what hurts and how you were injured?"

Hitch opened his eyes and squinted up at the Captain. "Where's Sarge?"

Dietrich leaned back a bit and looked around. "Somewhere out there watching us." He indicated the surrounding dunes. "I must admit, I'm surprised he hasn't called yet to see what I am doing." The officer noted the pain in the blue eyes staring at him and took pity. "Just answer the doctor's questions so he can care for you and I will let you talk to your sergeant."

Hitch closed his eyes against the unaccustomed brightness and told them what hurt and how it had happened.

The doctor nodded as Dietrich translated the information. Most of it he had already discovered for himself. After checking for internal injuries, he gave Hitch a local to ease the pain. Then he called for a canteen of water and gave him three aspirin. "That's all I can do for now Captain. He needs to go to a hospital for x-rays. I would recommend complete bed rest for at least a week and light duty for a while after that."

"Can he be moved?"

"Yes, but it won't be pleasant." The Doctor warned.

"I'll pass along your diagnosis Doctor, and your recommendations. I'm sure the Americans will want to take him back to their own base."

The doctor rose to leave.

"Captain."

"Yes?"

"Tell him thanks for me?"

Dietrich passed the message on to the doctor who nodded and warned Hitch to take it easy.

"Are you ready Private?"

"Ready for what?" Hitch asked warily.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Village**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 6

"Troy! Captain Dietrich is on the radio."

Troy lowered his binoculars and slid down the slope toward the jeep. Tully handed him the headset and stepped away to guard the four prisoners.

"Is he all right Captain?"

"Yes Sergeant, he will be." The German officer tried to keep the smile out of his voice. He'd predicted that Troy would be anxious and it was gratifying to be proven correct.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with him?" Even though Hitch had said he was injured, Troy wanted to hear the details from the German. He had watched as the doctor knelt next to his driver but the distance had been too great to see what he was doing.

Dietrich explained Hitch's injuries and passed on the doctor's treatment and recommendations.

"But he can travel?"

"The doctor says he can but it will not be pleasant. He recommends that you keep him well medicated and as still as possible. Perhaps tie him to a stretcher so that he cannot move much." Dietrich hesitated. "My men, are they all right?"

Troy glanced at the prisoners under Tully's care. "Yeah Captain, they're okay, even the lieutenant."

Dietrich smiled at the news. "So how do you want to make the exchange?"

"We'll meet halfway and trade Hitch for three of your men."

"Three?" Dietrich's voice took on a sharp edge. "What about the fourth? You promised me Sergeant. You said the lieutenant was wounded, I have a doctor with me."

"Relax Captain; you get three when we trade for Hitch. Once Moffitt gets Hitch far enough away we'll release your lieutenant."

"You think we'll try to chase you?"

"Wouldn't you Captain?"

Dietrich looked toward the hills and nodded. "Perhaps. What if I promise not to pursue you once the exchange is made?"

"Your word as an officer?" Troy demanded.

"My word as both an officer and a gentleman." The German promised. "I only want to make sure that the lieutenant gets the medical care he needs. Your man was extended that curtesy."

"All right Captain, we'll trade all four for Hitch and you don't follow us."

"Deal Sergeant."

"Five minutes Captain. Meet in the middle."

The line went dead leaving Dietrich standing with the headphones held to his ear. He thought again about calling Troy back, just to get the last word in for a change, but the five minutes were passing quickly. He ordered a car brought around to transport Hitch more comfortably.

"Doctor, bring your medical kit, I have another job for you."

Five minutes later exactly the jeep appeared on the top of the nearby hill. Tully climbed behind the 50 and waited. The stolen patrol car drove around the hill and approached the Captain. It stopped about fifty feet from the car that Dietrich had brought. The four German prisoners climbed out of the vehicle. The three enlisted men looked hopeful that the exchange would take place. For his part the lieutenant still looked sullen.

Troy prodded the four men forward, following with a machine gun held ready. "Any chance two of your men could carry Hitch to the car?" Troy grinned hopefully.

Dietrich frowned but he ordered two of the enlisted men to deliver the injured private. The two stepped forward, confused and hesitant to return to their captors. The Captain barked at them impatiently.

Troy watched the exchange in silence.

"They fear I am going to leave them behind." Dietrich explained.

"A deal is a deal Captain, you get all four."

"If I thought you would feel any other way I would have made you carry him yourself. He was given aspirin for the pain and the muscles were numbed with localized shots. He'll need more medicine in three to four hours. The doctor has tucked more of the numbing agent into the blanket. I assume you have aspirin?"

Troy nodded. "Thank you. The lieutenant was given morphine about three hours ago. I'm sure your doctor will know what to give him and when."

Now Dietrich nodded his thanks. The two enlisted men put Hitch in the car and hurried to stand behind their captain.

"So long Captain, until we meet again." Troy saluted Dietrich and turned to return to the patrol car with Moffitt at the wheel.

The lieutenant glanced at Moffitt, who was preparing to drive away. His attention was momentarily on the car and not the Germans. Moffitt was not looking his way and Troy had his back turned, he dove at Troy's back.

The bullets from the 50 tore up the ground all around the lieutenant. He hit the ground as Troy ducked out of the way. Tully sent more bullets into the dirt in front of Dietrich and the men with him. Dietrich stood perfectly still, maintaining a calm appearance that he didn't feel. His lieutenant lay sprawled on the ground between the two vehicles. Troy and Moffitt had reacted immediately, spinning to face the threat.

The Captain move forward slowly, keeping his hands in plain sight. He looked down at his lieutenant with concern. "Are you all right Lieutenant?"

The young lieutenant lifted his head and glared at Tully behind the 50. The two of them faced off for a minute, Tully calm and composed, the lieutenant furious.

"Lieutenant?"

"I'm fine Captain." The officer replied, rolling defiantly onto his back. His shoulder was bleeding again but that was the only injury that Dietrich could see.

"Not a very smart move." Troy growled.

"I thank Private Pettigrew for his restraint." Dietrich nodded to Tully. "As for you lieutenant, I gave my word. As an officer and a gentleman I made a deal with these men. Your actions are a direct violation of that agreement."

The lieutenant looked confused at the reprimand. "They are the enemy Captain."

"There must be honor, even among enemies, or this war descends into total chaos. We are not animals Lieutenant. We have the ability to choose to be civilized toward each other, if only for brief moments in time. This was an agreement among men, bound by our word, a matter of honor. You have managed to disgrace not only yourself but the rest of us as well by your actions. Is this how you want the world, and history, to think of a German officer?"

Dietrich watched as the lieutenant's eyes dropped, followed by his head. "Sergeant, I understand that this is a direct violation of our agreement but I am asking you to overlook it and allow me to take the lieutenant back with me."

Troy's anger faded at the Captain's plea. He eyed the lieutenant, watching him squirm as he realized that he may have jeopardized his chance at freedom. Finally Troy took a step back and nodded. "All right Captain, a deal is a deal. I promised you four men if he survived. He's all yours. Good luck." This time Troy backed all the way to the patrol car.

Tully stood behind the 50 and glared at the lieutenant. He continued to man the 50 until the patrol car carrying the others was behind the hill. In one smooth motion he dropped into his seat and started the jeep. He was driving down the other side of the hill before the Germans realized he had moved.

Dietrich watched them go with mixed emotions. Once again the enemy had proven themselves to be more honorable than his own countrymen. While not all of the German officers were career soldiers he had still hoped that they would not dishonor the uniform they shared. He looked at the lieutenant who was still looking shaken by the fast moving events.

"Have the doctor look at your shoulder before we return to the column. I would like you to join me for supper tonight if you are able. We have a lot to discuss Lieutenant."

The young officer nodded, too worried to answer verbally. He had never dined with his commander and he wasn't sure that it was going to be a pleasant experience.

As for Dietrich, he was trying to recall all of the lectures on honor that he had received over the years. How do you make someone who has not had it drilled into him understand its true meaning? Dietrich sighed; he had his work cut out for him.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Village**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 7

"I was hidden behind that beam." Hitch explained as Troy, Moffitt and Tully crowded around his bed. He was still weak but with good care he was feeling better. He still didn't move any more than he had to. "You know the one I mean?" He looked at Troy by moving his eyes.

Troy nodded.

"I heard Dietrich telling me to surrender. I heard the shots when they fired under the first building. I knew what he was going to do Sarge. There wasn't room to get out of the way and I didn't have time to crawl to another hole even if I knew where to find one. The only thing I could think of was to try to get as much of my body behind the beam as I could. There wasn't room to get around it or over it so I had to squeeze under it. It was quite a surprise when I slid under it and kept right on going. That trap door gave way and I fell right into that basement and hit hard. The fall knocked me out; I didn't wake up until the roof starting falling in. It took me a minute to realize it was a grenade."

"You were lucky you fell in that hole." Moffitt assured him.

"Yeah." Hitch admitted. "Even then there were a lot of rocks that fell in when the grenade went off. I managed to roll to the side so most of them missed me but that hurt and I passed out again. I guess I was in and out for a while there. I heard Sarge calling me and I thought I was imagining it; that or I was dreaming. I tried to move but I couldn't even stand up. I knew I wasn't going to get out of there on my own."

The others nodded their heads in sympathy. Each of them remembered a time when they had been helpless and unable to save themselves. They understood what Hitch was trying to say.

"Maybe it's a good thing you didn't try." Tully suggested.

"You might have been captured with Troy." Moffitt smiled at the other sergeant.

"You would have rescued me." Hitch sounded so certain that the others couldn't help but smile.

"That lieutenant wanted to put you out of your misery with another grenade." Tully remarked. His voice was so cold that Hitch turned his head to look at him. The movement made his back hurt and he let out a groan..

Troy's eyes darkened with anger as he recalled the lieutenant's words.

"But you managed to talk Dietrich into digging me out. I didn't know how you were going to do that alone. I'd kind of resigned myself to being in there a while. Never figured you'd get the Germans to help. Dietrich said something about making a deal with you. Did I dream that?"

"No." Troy admitted. "We captured four of his men and offered to return them if Dietrich returned you. Only I don't think he realized how much work it was going to be."

"His men did all the work." Tully pointed out.

"Dietrich supervised." Troy grinned.

"I don't care." Hitch answered with a yawn. "I'm just glad somebody got me out of there." He tried to shift positions in the bed and his face twisted at the movement.

"Maybe we should go Hitch, you need your rest." Troy suggested.

Hitch dropped his head at the suggestion.

"Hitch?"

"Can't you stay a little longer? It's going to be dark soon and I've found that I like company when it gets dark. Everybody else in here goes to sleep."

"Do you need a nightlight?" Troy teased.

"No." Hitch blushed. "I just get tense when it starts to get dark and that makes my back hurt. The doc says I need to relax more, but I cant."

"Would it help if I stay and read to you?" Tully drawled.

Hitch flashed Tully a quick smile, his face still pink with embarrassment. "I haven't been afraid of the dark since I was a little kid. I'm not really afraid now," he added, "it's just that it makes me a little nervous. The doc says it's normal and it will go away in time, but for now…"

Tully picked up the paperback by the bed. "Where did you leave off?"

Troy and Moffitt rose to leave as Tully opened the book.

"We'll be back to take our turn in a couple of hours. If we finish the book we can find another one or start this one over." Troy smiled at his driver.

"Thanks Sarge, Doc."

"Try to relax Hitch; we won't leave you alone in the dark." Moffitt promised.

"Okay." Hitch smiled and relaxed against the pillows. "Could someone tuck me in?" His blue eyes danced with mischief as he asked the question.

"Sure Hitch." Troy grinned. "Just give me a minute to check for the monster under the bed."

"The monster won't bother him." Tully laughed as Troy bent to look under the cot. "I already fed it tonight."

"Not from the mess hall I hope."" Moffitt added, getting into the spirit.

"Naw, I gave him some cookies from home." Tully grinned.

"I want to be a monster under your bed." Hitch protested. "I didn't get any cookies. Do you have any left?"

"Nope." Tully answered. "I gave the rest to the monster in the dark that goes bump in the night."

"Okay," Hitch sighed. "I get it, go to sleep. Nothing is going to get me while you guys are here."

"Just relax Hitch, we've got you." Troy answered softly so it didn't carry past their small group.

"I know you do. Thanks."

"Anytime." The other three answered together.

Tully began to read as Hitch's eyes slid shut. His voice droned on and on into the night.


End file.
